Several years ago, we added up all of the money we paid for fruit, nuts and candy holiday gift packages we sent to our customers - it was a lot. We decided that the world will be better served if, instead of sending holiday gifts, we made donations to those who have less in life and greater needs in honor of our customers.

After a while, we extended this practice to include at least some of the money we spent on adults during the holidays.

Last week, in our poll question, we asked you how you felt about this, with this question: “Would you go along with taking all the money spent on adult Christmas gifts, and some of what’s spent on the children, and donate it to a worthy charity?” It was very interesting that over 70% of our respondents thought this was a “great idea, while the rest disagreed.

With all of this in mind, we’re pleased to tell you that we have chosen these three outstanding organizations to receive our contributions. This is the first year for the third organization, but we’ve contributed to the first two for several years.

Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundationwww.OrlandoHealth.comWorld-class medical care for women and children from all over the globe, including trauma, heart and cancer treatments and, if necessary, without cost. Mr. Palmer has insisted that no one is ever turned away because they can’t afford treatment.

Special Operations Warrior Foundationwww.SpecialOps.orgProvides a full college education to the surviving children of special ops personnel who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military, and immediate financial assistance and support to ensure severely wounded special ops personnel are able to have their loved ones at their bedside during recovery.

If you’re looking for a worthy organization to contribute to at year-end, consider one or all of these three. You can donate right on their websites with a credit card, or send a check.

Thanks for all you do for so many all year long. From me and my team, we wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season.